Why You Need a Social Media Strategy for Your Employer Brand

Why You Need a Social Media Strategy for Your Employer Brand

Posted by Joao Araujo on 16/03/2016

Having a social media presence for your employer brand is no longer a feature — it’s a requirement. Millennial and Generation Z job seekers are digitally savvy and spend several hours a day on social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Youtube are just a few of the channels where your potential employees are spending their time and learning about the companies where they might want to work. You need to be on those channels if you’re going to compete for top talent.

To be successful on social media, you need a strategy for your employer brand that goes beyond just talking about your products and services. You need to generate accessible, directed content that speaks to individual candidates. Here’s how:

Identify Your Ideal Employee

You’re looking for the best possible candidate, but everyone uses social media differently. The first step in any social recruiting strategy is to target your audience. First, identify the characteristics of your optimal employees. Then, research which social media platforms your potential employees frequent and learn what sort of things they follow to get your message where it will be seen.

Know Each Platform

Each platform has its own unique tricks and features, and you need to know all of them to be successful. Here are a few tips you should be aware of regarding some of the most popular platforms:

Merely putting an “#” in front of a word on Twitter is not going to get results. Find the right word to hashtag by using an application like HashTracking or Tweet Binder.

Industry and networking groups are especially powerful on LinkedIn. Invest time in finding groups that are relevant to the jobs you’re hiring for and are big enough to provide a good selection of potential employees — without being difficult for you to stand out.

Learn how to use Facebook search correctly: It’s not just for searching for specifically named accounts or groups. You can search for a group of people who have a specific characteristic listed in their profile based on a given geographic, which can be an especially powerful tool.

Develop Strategies for Each Platform

Social media platforms are all different, so you need a specific set of strategies and objectives for each. You should also strive to go beyond simply promoting open positions or showing off your employer brand. A recent campaign by Unilever is a great example of a company taking it one step farther.

The consumer products giant needed to attract new talent in Northern Africa and the Middle East. To stand out among ambitious business students, Unilever ran a business competition called The Quest. Teams tested their knowledge in subjects like marketing, finance and logistics, in a series of case-based challenges. Top teams won prizes and Unilever shared photos and rankings through Instagram and Facebook – generating visibility and buzz. The result? A huge jump in applications and unprecedented access to talent.

What you can do. Adopt a multitier social media strategy for your employer brand. Surpass advertising job offers and the employment experience by creating newer, fresher ideas. Aim to gain new followers across multiple accounts, and start to build your incredible pool of potential star employees now.